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>The whale believed to be Toki’s mother is the matriarch of L-pod, one of three clans that make up the so-called southern resident killer whales, a genetically
by remarkEon 3y ago
>The whale believed to be Toki’s mother is the matriarch of L-pod, one of three clans that make up the so-called southern resident killer whales, a genetically and socially distinct population that frequents the Salish Sea between Washington and British Columbia. There are 73 southern residents remaining.
The naming conventions used in this article confused me for a bit, but if I am understanding this correctly this Orca's (read: Lolita/Toki's) mother is still alive and is still the Matriarch of that same Pod? I didn't realize these animals lived as long as 80 years (per Wikipedia).
- EatingWithForks 3y agoThe more one learns about other mammals the more furious one generally becomes about their treatment. Orcas are long lived animals in complex social groups (orca influencers are a thing!) that identify individuals, identify self, and appear to participate in cross-species communication.
- remarkEon 3y agoIt's a little enraging. I'm glad that Orca captivity has been, essentially, banned (at least in the United States). Is anyone working on using AI to develop some sort of translation method for communicating with these beings?
- wigiv 3y agoI have no affiliation and no idea what the current status of their effort is, or if they are working with orcas specifically, but this group has crossed my radar a few times: https://www.earthspecies.org/ https://www.earthspecies.org/
- justinludwig 3y agoI think it's mostly wishful thinking -- the supposed mother, L25 Ocean Sun [1], is the oldest by far of the Southern Residents, and the only one living who could be Toki's mother. Most females don't make it past their 50s, and most males don't make it past their 30s. [1] https://killerwhales.fandom.com/wiki/L25_Ocean_Sun https://killerwhales.fandom.com/wiki/L25_Ocean_Sun